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Bureau Score

What is a bureau score?

A Bureau Score is a credit score which is calculated only upon the information held at a Credit Reference Agency. Another term for a Credit Reference Agency is a ‘Credit Bureau’, and this is where the name comes from.

Typically, the information used to calculate the Bureau Score is limited to public data – namely electoral roll, insolvency and judgment information only.

Bureau Scores are used mostly by new lenders to the financial marketplace, who do not have a large sample of established accounts to use to come up with their own scoring criteria. They are also used by the relatively small number of lenders who are not members of data sharing clubs such as Experian’s CAIS or Equifax’s Insight. Some established lenders also use Bureau Scores to add weight to their own internal risk assessment systems.

The scores themselves are not so powerful at being able to distinguish between potentially good or bad accounts, as a credit score that has been developed from a large sample of accounts, but Bureau Scores can be more powerful than subjective judgement (i.e. a credit professional assessing an application manually).

Q: Can I see my bureau score?

A: No, it isn’t publicly visible. However the score on its own isn’t particularly useful as it only takes into account public information on you, which is available to view on your credit file.

You can however see the information that makes up your score by checking your credit report. This will give you the best indication of how likely you are to be accepted for credit by a lender. If you haven’t already, you can try checkmyfile FREE for 30 days , then for just £14.99 a month afterwards, which you can cancel at any time online.

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Information

checkmyfile is a trade mark and is a trading name of Credit Reporting Agency Limited (Registered number 3719598). Credit Reporting Agency Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (firm reference 690175). Credit Reporting Agency Limited is a Credit Reference Agency notified with the Office of the Information Commissioner, registration number Z6636832. Our VAT number is GB 738 731 215. Credit Reporting Agency Limited is registered in England and has its registered office at Trevithick House, Trevissome Park, Truro, TR4 8UN.

Monthly fee of £14.99 applies after your free 30-day trial. You may cancel at any time without charge by Freephone, Secure Message, email or online. The free 30-day trial applies only to new customers aged 18 years or more who are living in the UK. The 30-day free trial period starts when you register. If we are unable to verify your identity online when you register, we may ask you to provide information to us which may delay access to your Credit Report.

* The data we obtain from the four Credit Reference Agencies, which we use to build your checkmyfile Credit Report, differs in depth. We obtain all available data from Callcredit, Crediva and Equifax. Experian provides us with the data they report to lenders with the exception of the credit history data that lenders provide to them, which lenders also provide to Callcredit, Equifax or to both in the vast majority of cases; and also with the exception of Cifas fraud data, which is supplied to Experian in the same format to Callcredit and Equifax, and which we also show on your checkmyfile Credit Report. We present all of this data in the same format so you can more easily compare the differences between agencies, spot errors and, by using the common yardstick of your checkmyfile Credit Scores, you can also see how your creditworthiness differs, depending on which Credit Reference Agency is searched by a prospective lender.